HMRC

Tony Devenish: What can you do to support the trade union equity in fighting HMRC who appear to be unfairly targeting actors, singers, dancers and other creative professionals? Will you lobby HM Treasury to support these self employed professionals?

The Mayor: In London, we rightly have a reputation as one of the leading cultural cities in the world. In order to protect this status, it is vital that we ensure that the pipelines encouraging new talent are kept open in what can be challenging professions to earn a living from, with low pay and the uncertainty of freelance contracts. It is therefore concerning that this may be made more difficult for performers and other creative professionals following the outcome of the tax case that Equity lost against the HMRC earlier this year. As such, I have asked my officers to meet with Equity to discuss their campaign and explore how we might be able to work together to assist their members, who are understandably concerned about the possible impact on their ability to remain in their chosen professions.